I was looking for a while to find official answers on how long a Sun or an Oracle hardware could be under a valid service contract. There is no more “End of Service Life” (EOSL) like it was at Sun… in Oracle terms:
“With Lifetime Support for Oracle Hardware, Oracle hardware systems will be supported at the Premier support level for an indefinite period. Support levels will remain the same.
Beginning June 1, 2014, Oracle implemented a small surcharge on aged systems. The surcharge on Premier Support for Systems is in effect for systems that are over 5 years from LSD.”
You can find the official information on the Oracle Hardware and Systems Support Policies.
Surcharge is 5% additional to last year support price. But this does not include the IAR per year. So in this example taking a v445, LOD was 04/08, which is 5+ from 2014… Assuming Premier Support @ 1.000,- would mean for 2015 (e.g. 3% as IAR):
2.000,- + 5% surcharge + 3% IAR == 2.163,-
In 2016: 2.163,- * 1,05 * 1,03 == 2.339,28
And so on…
LODs could be found at MOS in the Oracle System Handbook.
More details can found at Aged Hardware Surcharge – Process & Sales Messaging document. This document is Internal Use Only, you can share the link with your local Partner Manager, in order for him to share with you the information he finds suitable.
[[UPDATE – Oct17]]
For a funny reason, this post is the most visited page on this website so I want to write an update regarding hardware support as it stands for now as far as I understood. But never forget, that’s my understanding, nothing official. If you need details get in contact with your Oracle Support Manager; the best resource for this kind of clarifications should be the renewal support sales people.
In the latest hardware support policies you can find a “Right to End of Service Life” – so no lifetime support anymore. Also new is that Oracle Premier Support for Systems will be available for a minimum of five years from the last ship date of the hardware system. And Oracle will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide twelve (12) months advance notice of End of Service Life.
Starting with Oct16 the surcharge fee for systems older than 5 years is 15% now (was 5%) but I could not find any public document reflecting that. And after 10 years it is 15% per year. And systems support could be discontinued after EOSL.
MOS: List of Supported Oracle Hardware (With Last Ship Dates Announced) (Doc ID 1450710.1)
MOS: List of Oracle Inbound OEM Hardware and Acquired Company Products with Support End Dates (Doc ID 1525631.1)